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SECTION 5:
Conclusions and Recommendations It seems commonplace to state that tragedies are a learning opportunity, but the best way to honor the memory of the millions of victims of this pandemic is not to repeat the mistakes that brought us this far. The future is a landscape of systemic health risks, stemming from a myriad of factors that must be studied, prevented and mitigated.
“ISGlobal wants to be an active part of this effort through our contribution to collective knowledge and the translation of science into public and private policies and practices.”
This paper has made a cursory review of the experience of the scientific and policy community in the area of PR3. The collective mood generated by the coronavirus crisis now allows decisions to be made that would otherwise be the result of much longer processes. On the basis of the best scientific knowledge, as well as the cooperative will of governments and institutions, we must build the theoretical, legal, institutional and personal infrastructure that will allow us to prevent the next tragedy. ISGlobal wants to be an active part of this effort, as we explained in the previous pages, through our contribution to collective knowledge and the translation of science into public and private policies and practices.
These are, in our opinion, the priorities that should guide the actions of Spain and the rest of the international community in the coming months:
01. Strengthen global governance in health emergencies. Greater level of coordination, and collaboration among the different levels, establishing legal frameworks for coordination of response is imperative.
02. Promote investments in preparedness in “peace” times. This includes innovation in novel surveillance and early alert systems as well as core protocols and frameworks for response that can rapidly be adapted to a particular crisis.
03. Address mental health in preparedness and response plans for
COVID-19 and further future health crises is imperative. Planning and designing of future response strategies should include mental health and psychosocial considerations in risk reduction strategies, including measures to reduce psychosocial impacts (e.g. isolation, income insecurity...), to improve risk communication, to increase mental health services and universal care coverage. For this to be effective, community-based organizations and citizen representatives need to be involved in the design and implementation of new policies 62.
04. Address social and economic inequities when planning health emergency
preparedness and response strategies. A lesson learned from this pandemic is that we should really work together as this health crisis will not end until all countries are able to recover from it, and that will not be possible without global solidarity. Regions with inequities in their communities are less prepared to respond comprehensively to health crises.
How Can We Be Better Prepared for the Next Public Health Crisis? Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic An ISGlobal policy paper.
